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x group of female students at 5 A:Nilfnd Laurier University is $ ired of watching men take # prominent roles in society, while ; women just sit idly by, allowing it to 3 happen. The event objective of the group is to promote women‘s leadership within the school by inspiring those of their gender to pursue their goals and dreams. Organized by the group Women Fostering Leadership, the event will include a number of keynote speakers, including television‘s own Dini Petty. The _ university‘s _ Maureen Forrester Recital Hall will play host to _ the _ firstâ€"ever _ Women Empowering Others event, which will take place at 7 p.m. tonight. Werll, no more. After putting their heads togethâ€" er over lunch one day, these women believe they‘ve found a way to ensure the past will no longer influence the present, or the future. WLU students organize women‘s leadership event want to inspire those By Anorea Bamey Chronicle Staff Hotke Affaq Frotm Home eonnrtafsi * ar es mfi.fi.,\ ces ;&v SPRING_HOMEâ€"SHOwW a i +* ha â€" f 2 o. ‘y* * ? 8E * & * & Â¥ s â€" ‘ % 2 / So 5 hE *A $ * _‘gk 2 . + i 5?”»"5 ‘ m 4. is & s P 4 ‘l“fi’f-g 5 3 Jt we aoP sn VA 7 hes % * ”,1‘ . : . 8 e "a/ £ ids d 4 . t ' preirennane & ‘ â€" on :’;’%}‘n a?f}':' 4 aid =_mias / ARCH / â€" * A>. s#u‘ o "eae KE L _ .00 s <oge s i 2 ce e es Neither "Cunningham nor Lafrance claim to have problems "Our intent is to be specific towards women," she said. "But at the same time, it is really all encompassing." Lafrance, who is majoring in women‘s studies at the university, said while the event is mainly directed towards women, it‘s also a perfect opportunity for men to learn more about female accomâ€" plishment. "An event like this not only gives us a chance to associate with each other," she said, "it also proves just how great our sex is." Coâ€"organizer Laure Lafrance said it‘s far too often that men are given the opportunity to network, while women are often lost in the shuffle. doubting themseives, and let them know they can do anything they want," said the viceâ€"president of university affairs for the WLU Student _ Union, _ Charmaine Cunningham. "Our goal is to highâ€" light the positive actions that females have done, and show othâ€" ers that it is possible to accomplish whatever they set out to do." #{‘ cONnESTOGA â€"â€" MALL Conestoga Mall be your â€" °*# home away from home. / "I‘ve often wondered why there haven‘t been more female viceâ€" presidents here," Cunningham So it is somewhat unclear to them why other women might feel inferior and believe they are not good enough to reach for the stars. Television host Dini Petty will be a keynote speak at WLU‘s Women Empowering Others event. with their own self confidence, and both have always strived to be leaders in a variety of roles. "I don‘t know if it‘s just for a ~~ 2 ds But she also said the ageâ€"old tradition of women not being given the opportunity to explore their inner leadership qualities could be a factor in the lack of interest "I‘ve always tried to achieve what I want, knowing there would be obstacles along the way," Lafrance said. _ Lafrance said that she grew up believing women deserve to play an active role in society. "It‘s actually very disturbing; not because the men are there, but because more women aren‘t. That really goes to show it‘s time to step up." « "I go to a lot of meetings involvâ€" ing different committees," she said. "And whenever 1 look around, there are very few females in the room with me. Sometimes I can count the number of women on two fingers, and one of them is me. Cunningham also said she never really noticed the problem until this year. lack of interest, or that women just don‘t have the confidence to do it. That‘s why it‘s so important to show them the positives of going after what they want." Complete Collision and Refinishing Service \ 430 Albert Street, Waterloo W ’NorthdaleE Auto Bodvs "There‘s no question, we want this to become an annual event." "You get the odd (sarcastic} comment of, ‘ooh, female empowâ€" erment,‘" she said. "But it‘s nothing compared to the positive feedback we‘ve received. Cunningham also said she is pleased with the treatment the event has received from the univerâ€" sity population at large. Cunningham and Lafrance said everyone, male and female, is welâ€" come to attend the event, which is free of charge. A reception will folâ€" low the presentations. "That‘s why we‘re hoping to address these cultural stereotypes head on and say ‘hey, look what we can do.‘" "Culturally speaking, we haven‘t been given the opportunity to explore being leaders in society," she said. "We‘ve been socialized as passive beings and taught that we should be good wives and mothers. Men have been raised as the leadâ€" ers and the owners, and women have been raised as secondâ€"class citizens. shown by others in gaining a pres ence in areas of prominence.